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Bornite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information


Bornite is suitable only for cabochons. The bronzy color rapidly tarnishes in air to a magnificent iridescent color display, mostly purple, but also with blue and green tones. Bornite is too soft and brittle for anything but a collector curiosity, although cabochons are quite attractive when they tarnish. The material is not rare, so cabochons have no great value beyond the effort of cutting.

HomeGemstonesBornite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
By Joel E. Arem, Ph.D., FGA, updated on

STREAK: Light grayish black.

OCCURRENCE: Low temperature copper deposits.

Bristol, Connecticut; Virginia; North Carolina; Montana; Arizona; Colorado; California

Canada; Chile; Peru; England; Italy; Germany; South Africa; Madagascar.

COMMENTS: Bornite is suitable only for cabochons. The bronzy color rapidly tarnishes in air to a magnificent iridescent color display, mostly purple, but also with blue and green tones. Bornite is too soft and brittle for anything but a collector curiosity, although cabochons are quite attractive when they tarnish. The material is not rare, so cabochons have no great value beyond the effort of cutting.

NAME:  After Ignatius von Born, eighteenth-century mineralogist.

 

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